A Guide to Self-Rescue in the Cultivation World - Chapter 29

Although the news of the upcoming Disciple Assessment for the various sects had certainly thrown ripples into Zhou Suyao’s heart like a stone tossed into a lake, the intensive practice and recovery training led by her Senior Brothers had kept her mind largely free of distress over the past few days.

After a few more days of conditioning, Zhou Suyao felt her body was about seventy to eighty percent recovered. Naturally, her thoughts turned to Ming Luo. After informing her Master, she gathered some common herbs to help with peace of mind and spiritual focus and descended the mountain toward the Xinchong Sect.

The former site of the Xinchong Sect was a beautiful, spiritually rich, secluded valley. However, the mountain gate, once enveloped in a celestial aura, was now nothing but ruins. Charred timbers, shattered tiles, and faint, dark-brown bloodstains silently testified to the brutal battle that had occurred recently.

Zhou Suyao searched for a while but didn’t find Ming Luo in the main ruins. She followed a subtle spiritual energy fluctuation, bypassed the wreckage at the gate, and headed towards a fresh, secluded path up the back mountain.

Through the forest, with a babbling creek and hidden by trees, a patch of ground wreathed in mist had been cleared. In the center of this clearing, Ming Luo had rolled up her sleeves, revealing slender but strong arms. She was effortlessly shouldering a massive, smoothed log, preparing to use it as the central pillar for a pavilion.

Her face was smeared with mud, and sweat was trickling down her beautiful jawline, yet she remained utterly focused.

“Ming Luo,” Zhou Suyao called out softly.

Ming Luo turned her head at the sound. Seeing Zhou Suyao, a smile immediately broke out on her face.

She dropped her work and hurried over: “Why are you here? Are your injuries better?”

“Almost,” Zhou Suyao smiled, handing her the herbs she had brought. “Just some things to nourish your spirit. Don’t mind that they’re simple. Why are you here alone… and already starting construction?”

Ming Luo accepted the herbs, nodded, and led Zhou Suyao towards the pavilion, which was just beginning to take shape.

The pavilion was built from countless thin bamboo poles, and the entrance curtain was a string of hollow jade tubes that chimed crisply when the wind blew.

Ming Luo smiled: “I figured the main sect hall won’t be rebuilt in a day, so I might as well start with a small, secluded spot for cultivation. The scenery here is lovely and quiet, and water gathers here. If I can recruit disciples later, they’ll have a place to clear their minds and understand the Dao.”

“That’s a great idea,” Zhou Suyao nodded. She rolled up her sleeves. “Let me help you.”

Ming Luo initially wanted to refuse, but seeing Zhou Suyao’s determined look, she stopped being polite. The two worked together, one steadying the bamboo and the other tamping the earth, finding a natural rhythm.

The creek babbled through the mountain, and birds chirped clearly. Zhou Suyao held a short pavilion post, aligning the mortise and tenon joint, when she suddenly recalled the heavy words Master had spoken before that dark, terrifying mass grave in the Imperial City.

She stopped working and, after a moment of hesitation, asked: “Ming Luo, do you remember what my Master said in front of the mass grave in the Imperial City… that the Spiritual Dao once viewed the lives of mortals as alchemy pills, setting up a grand array to absorb their fortune and spiritual energy, refining them into spiritual power for cultivation?”

Ming Luo’s hand, which was striking the joint, froze abruptly.

The sound of the hammer hitting the wood instantly ceased.

Zhou Suyao watched Ming Luo slowly straighten up, turn to face her, the smile on her face gradually fading.

In its place was a complex expression.

The mountain wind blew, bringing the coolness of the stream and the fragrance of grass and wood. The two sat beneath the hollow jade chimes. In the distance, a line of egrets soared into the sky. Their long calls broke the silence of the world.

Ming Luo was silent for a long time. So long that Zhou Suyao almost thought she wouldn’t answer the question. Then, she let out a very, very soft sigh.

Her gaze drifted towards the outline of the Xinchong Sect ruins in the distance. Her voice was light, but carried a hint of bitterness.

“I remember, and what Senior Zhou said is true.”

“In fact, that kind of reality has never been truly eliminated.”

She bent down, picked up a small piece of gravel from the ground, and unconsciously rubbed it between her fingers.

“My master Xuan Yangming, although he later fell to the evil path, hinted at this when he taught us in his early years. He said that Heaven and Earth regard all things as straw dogs. Spiritual Dao cultivators draw spiritual energy from the world, but the endless procreation of humankind, their vitality, fortune, and even their souls and emotions are the most vast and the most ‘easily acquired’ sources of spiritual energy in the world.”

Zhou Suyao held her breath, realizing that what Ming Luo was about to say would not be a utopian vision.

“Many sects, especially those with long histories and deep foundations, have, to varying degrees… understood and even utilized similar methods. Of course, the constraints of the Heavenly Dao still exist. I’m not sure how my master… Xuan Yangming avoided that curse, but I seem to recall him saying that some innocent people were sealed in the Heavenly Dao Prison, refined into dynastic fortune, and the Spiritual Dao would absorb this Heavenly Dao fortune for cultivation… And many of my Senior Brothers and Sisters were actually using such methods of cultivation.”

She lifted her eyes, looking at Zhou Suyao, seemingly trying to find strength and affirmation in her gaze.

“I felt this was wrong. It’s a disregard for human ethics and a trampling of living beings. In the path of cultivation, seizing the creation of Heaven and Earth is already defying nature. If one uses the souls and lives of beings from the same source as a ladder, even if they reach the absolute peak, where does their ‘Dao Heart’ lie? Or rather, is that kind of Dao truly the ‘Dao’ I want to cultivate?”

Zhou Suyao looked at her, her heart a turmoil of emotions. She didn’t know how to respondshe knew she wasn’t a pure idealist. If the same temptation were placed before her, she felt she probably couldn’t achieve what Ming Luo had done.

Seeing Zhou Suyao offer no reply, Ming Luo lowered her head and smiled softly: “That’s why… I always resisted that method. My master… Xuan Yangming criticized me for not being ‘decisive’ enough and being unable to achieve great things. Many of my peers also thought I was foolish…” She offered a bitter smile. “Perhaps it’s because I never drew spiritual energy from the human path that Xuan Yangming chose me as the vessel for the ‘Twin Life Seal,’ to be the host for his multiple spiritual powers.”

As she spoke, her gaze returned to the pavilion, her eyes becoming gentle and firm. She said softly, “Precisely because of this, I want to rebuild the Xinchong Sect, but not by following Xuan Yangming’s old path. I want to try to see if there is a way that doesn’t rely on plunder and death. Just like building this pavilion, every stone and piece of wood was done with my own hands, drawing on the natural spiritual energy of the world. That’s enough.”

She looked at Zhou Suyao, a faint sheen of tears in her eyes.

“Suyao, tell me, can this kind of path be walked?”

Zhou Suyao listened quietly. She finally understood the source of the sorrow in Ming Luo’s eyes.

It wasn’t just the catastrophe of the sect’s destruction, but the pain of struggling in the dark.

She also finally understood why Ming Luo had such a deep obsession with rebuilding the sect; she wanted to prove that there was a different, purer Dao, one unlike the “norm.”

“So, you don’t need to ask me whether you are doing the right thing,” Zhou Suyao said. “You’ve already started building this Cultivation Pavilion. What you seek is purity of heart and strenuous cultivation. Naturally, you hope that even if progress is slow, every step you take is firm and you have a clear conscience.”

She paused, a smile curving her lips: “Regardless of what happens to the Xinchong Sect in the future, I’ll come here to meditate whenever I can. You have to save a spot for me in this pavilion.”

Ming Luo looked at her, tears glistening in her eyes. After countless struggles, she finally gave a genuinely radiant smile. She nodded emphatically: “Yes…”

In the warm mountain breeze, the two once again supported the bamboo and wood until the pavilion stood firmly, the secure click of the joints sounding reassuring. Ming Luo wiped the sweat from her brow, and she and Zhou Suyao sat shoulder-to-shoulder on a smooth, large stone to rest.

Zhou Suyao took a small sip of water. Suddenly remembering something, she asked, “Oh, Ming Luo, the Disciple Assessment is starting again. Did you know?”

Ming Luo, who was sipping water, paused her action, placing the waterskin down. She nodded: “Mm, I heard. All the Spiritual Dao sects have probably gotten word… This time, it will likely draw more attention than previous Grand Sect Competitions.”

That was natural, Zhou Suyao thought.

The major sect that had overseen the Disciple Assessment for centuries turned out to be led by a master of black magic, who almost caused the death of the heir to the number one Dao in the land.

All of this guaranteed that the new Disciple Assessment would not be peaceful.

Zhou Suyao pursed her lips. Having received confirmation, she turned to another matter that concerned her: “Do you… have any news about Qi Jie and Qi Shuobei recently? I haven’t heard anything since we parted in the Imperial City.”

At the mention of the Qi brothers, Ming Luo’s expression shifted slightly. She was silent for a moment before saying quietly,  I know a little.

“Their injuries are likely fine by now. But  they have been confined by the Rao Tian Dao Elders.”

“Confined?” Zhou Suyao was stunned, almost thinking she had misheard. “Why? Although they acted without permission, they ultimately eliminated the huge threat of Xuan Yangming. Even if their merits and demerits balanced out, they shouldn’t be put in solitary confinement.”

Ming Luo sighed at this. Her voice dropped even lower: “The Qi brothers, no matter what, represent the face of the Rao Tian Dao. There is a lot of internal disagreement within the Rao Tian Dao. Some think they were reckless, while others believe they exposed Xuan Yangming’s conspiracy. But judging by Elder Qi’s handling of the situation, it seems the faction advocating for punishment has the upper hand.”

She paused, then added softly: “When I was recovering at your mountain gate, I was often listless in those few days after my severe injuries. But in my hazy consciousness, I think I… sensed an extremely faint spiritual message. The spiritual energy fluctuation was very similar to when Qi Shuobei messaged me in the Imperial City. But the spiritual power was very unstable, and it seemed to be blocked by a strong barrier when it got close—it couldn’t penetrate at all and quickly dissipated.”

This statement made Zhou Suyao’s heart pound.

A barrier around the Chengxian Dao? Was it Master, or… Eldest Senior Brother?

And why would they want to isolate outside messages?

Ming Luo continued: “Shortly after that, when I returned to the Xinchong Sect, I received another message. This time, the message wasn’t blocked and reached me directly.”

“It was Qi Jie. He seemed to have used some secret technique to avoid the Qi family’s surveillance. His voice sounded very weak. He quickly asked if I was safe and if I had seen you. After I told him you were fine, he warned me to be careful of everything, that the Spiritual Dao might undergo changes soon, and not to easily trust others for the time being. After that, the message cut off. I tried to contact him again, but I couldn’t.”

Zhou Suyao’s eyebrows were tightly furrowed after hearing this.

The mysteries in her heart were growing larger.

Why were the Qi brothers confined? Why did Qi Jie risk sending a warning? And the Rao Tian Dao’s ambiguous attitude toward the Xuan Yangming affair.

All of it was too unusual, too illogical.

Or could it be?

She, Ming Luo, and the two Qi brothers.

Had they inadvertently touched something, something they weren’t meant to touch, without even knowing it?

Zhou Suyao’s sense of unease grew stronger.

On the way back to the Chengxian Dao after saying goodbye to Ming Luo, Ming Luo’s warning echoed continuously in her mind.

“Be careful of everything…”

“The Spiritual Dao might change soon…”

and don’t easily trust others.

Why?

Was there a larger conspiracy behind the Xuan Yangming affair? Perhaps even involving certain people within the Rao Tian Dao?

Or did they simply not want the two Qi brothers involved in these Spiritual Dao troubles?

Zhou Suyao couldn’t figure it out.

The events in the Imperial City and the approaching Disciple Assessment.

All felt like an abyss with countless skeletal arms, relentlessly dragging her down.

Towards an endless darkness.

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